The present invention relates to an impact printer and, more particularly, to an impact printer in which the instantaneous excessive power required for the actuation of the printing hammers is greatly reduced.
In a so-called impact printer having a rotating drum bearing thereon a plurality of axially extending rows of printing characters each of which rows consists of a plurality of the same characters with each other but different from those in other rows, printing hammers each belonging to the respective character in each row and kicking members adapted to be rotated at all times during the operation of the printer each belonging to the respective hammer, the hammers are selectively brought into operative position by the kicking members upon manipulation of the printer for the required printing operation so that the hammers are struck by the kicking members thereby permitting the required printing to be given in the recording paper by the actuation of the hammers.
In such a type of the impact printer, the hammers are selectively struck according to the manipulation of the printer when the each selected row of the required characters passes the printing position of the printer at which the respective hammer strikes the drum with the paper held therebetween during one revolution of the printing drum thereby completing the printing of one row.
Therefore, in case all the characters to be printed in one and the same row are the same with each other, all the printing hammers must be struck simultaneously by the kicking members for the respective printing hammers so that instantaneous excessive power is required for properly actuating the respective hammers otherwise the striking force of the hammers is made weak resulting in light printing of the characters.